Comments on: Apple to move Mac mini production line to U.S., sources say

By: Pronounced "Dumas" not "dumb a**"

Pronounced "Dumas" not "dumb a**" — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:17:19 +0000

Prepare for the Mac Mini’s official positioning as the US market’s home entertainment centre, and the ‘made in america’ flag-waving ads, with resulting spike in cable-dumpers. I’d love to see that (not the ads though).

By: bjr001

bjr001 — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:34:44 +0000

Another Rush Limbaugh graduate of the dumbing down of humanity. Unemployment benefits in most states is about $250.00-$275.00 per week, before taxes. This is about equal to minimum wages of about $7.00 an hour, hardly enough to pay for rent/mortgage, utilities, phone, credit card bills, transportation and food.

By: bjr001

bjr001 — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:17:55 +0000

” Too bad all that stimulus money went to cronies and unions instead of those “Shovel Ready Jobs”.”

Yea, like teachers , police officers, firefighters and the like but only to a point. The republican governors elected to use some of the money to plug holes in their state budgets instead of creating jobs. Congress allocates money but it is the states that create the projects such as upgrading/repairing roads, bridges and other projects.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 02:34:54 +0000

So, you are saying that you would like a job doing . . . what? There are a few jobs maintaining and setting up automation and a one time construction boom and then only a few jobs. The capital cost of an automated plant in the US when compared to the labour cost in China is huge and I suggest that the US still cannot compete. Most of the jobs that assembly plants bring will be taken up by Mexican Americans and not be very high paid.

By: Really

Really — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 01:23:12 +0000

Factor in automation and you greatly underestimate American productivity.

By: Steev

Steev — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:11:46 +0000

Opinion Noted.

What do you suggest we replace it with?
Economically Depressed
Economically Underdeveloped
Financially challenged
Monetarily Malfeasant (This would describe the US)
Oh I got one-
Wage Retarded

Haha- Wage Retarded.

By: kayan

kayan — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:48:02 +0000

Granted, but I still don’t see any value in calling countries “third world.” It’s a gross generalization that encourages a lazy world outlook. And even when it’s not intended to be insulting, the negative connotation is still there. Keep saying it if you want, but I think it’s an outdated phrase and everyone is better off leaving it behind.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:29:59 +0000

From what you said, I believe that you likely won’t buy a Macbook Pro because it doesn’t have an optical drive or a floppy drive or a VGA output or a . . .

My take away from your reply is that Apple has no clue about ‘the best’ technology and that they need you to tell them how to produce the best possible consumer products. I wonder who is the ‘bigot’ here?

By: the joker

the joker — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:16:57 +0000

You clearly have no experience or any clue about how good matte screens are. You are just another glossy screened bigot. Apple lost a sales for certain when they left matte behind. I personally put off buying a mac for several years until they offered a matte screen for laptops. I will never, EVER buy a glossy screened computer. I’d sooner go linux than buy glossy.

By: Steev

Steev — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:15:09 +0000

It’s the accepted term. And it’s used more often to indicate economic status vs. political superiority (only a person with an axe to grind would make a racial connection).

So, don’t waste our time sniping at a poster for using “third world” in it’s presently accepted definition. Go author a website or petition the UN to find some other PC phrase/term that will eventually be seen as racist by another person such as yourself.

By: Hg Wells

Hg Wells — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:11:53 +0000

I agree with Grrilla on this, Kayan. I understand your objections, but the phrase is not based on racism. It is generally based on economics and oft difficult standards of living. The phrase is not “being casually passed around.” It is a common race-neutral phrase used to identify certain nations sharing similar economic and living challenges. It is common usage and should be understood as such though you are certainly free to use different words in its place.

By: Steev

Steev — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:00:19 +0000

Sorry to hear that. Too bad all that stimulus money went to cronies and unions instead of those “Shovel Ready Jobs”.

By: Steev

Steev — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:57:39 +0000

If the wages are < then unemployment compensation then folks will stay on unemployment rather then work.

By: Grrrilla

Grrrilla — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:57:25 +0000

Explaining your position is acceptable, regardless of whether the reader agrees with you. Name-calling without such justification (and probably even with it), is less-so.

I don’t quite agree with some of your assumptions, but since my original comments were snarkily tongue-in-cheek (and not intentionally insensitive to the plight of all mankind) and since this is an ill-suited place for a discussion of the human condition (and since I have to hit the road), I’ll have to leave it at that.

By: kayan

kayan — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:20:03 +0000

Beyond “third world” making no sense on the face of it, the full meaning and implications of this far too common phrase are enormously ignorant. It’s based on the idea that certain nations are inherently superior to all other nations, and that poverty and slavery of certain types of people don’t harm you – as if these problems occur in a completely different world. It’s a patently false notion, given how increasingly interconnected the world is. It’s a pernicious lie based on a racist ideology that has no connection with how world economics actually works. Therefore, I don’t abide to this phrase being casually passed around.

By: montex

montex — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:11:14 +0000

I like pie.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:55:24 +0000

Thanks for the correction on my spelling. Just because many people use something doesn’t make it the better solution. Think PC vs Mac.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:52:23 +0000

The wages will be only $10 per day to compete with the Chinese or the products will not sell because they cost 4 times as much.

By: radtech5000

radtech5000 — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:50:56 +0000

This only sweetens the deal to grab an iPad-Mini next year with retina display!

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:50:38 +0000

Sorry to hear that you are in difficulty. If you got a job assembling computers, could you still buy the six vodkas and support a family on $10 a day?

By: emmayche

emmayche — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:05:09 +0000

Pray tell why should the most valuable company on Earth put up with paying more than it has to to the elected idiots in Washington who can’t even balance the government checkbook? The tax laws in this country are a clear message to business: “Invest your overseas money overseas, and don’t bring it home to create jobs, or we’ll punish you for it.” If you call that “corporate welfare,” I call you “an idiot.”

By: Grrrilla

Grrrilla — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:45:58 +0000

Talking like you don’t understand the common phrase and its usage sounds ignorant. Tit for tat.

By: Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:37:25 +0000

And they still suck. I’m staring at this page on a Mac LED Cinema Display- it will be my last glossy display.

By: Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:36:01 +0000

30 years in the Video, Photography and Medical Imaging business tells me you are blowing smoke.

The monitors used by Radiologists to interpret exams are matte (not mat) and are never glossy. Glossy monitors were an import from the PeeCee world where they should have stayed.

A non gloss surface does not have to be distorted.

By: Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:28:49 +0000

Pray tell why should a debt ridden government offer a tax cut to a company rolling in cash? Enough Corporate welfare.

By: Snoop dogg

Snoop dogg — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:16:38 +0000

And how do you know some people will not work in such a manufacturing place, the way you talk it’s as if there is no manufacturing work done in the USA at all.

By: kayan

kayan — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:00:26 +0000

There’s only one world. Talking about countries in another world sounds delusional.

By: Grrrilla

Grrrilla — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:44:58 +0000

It’s poor business decisions like this that hurt Apple’s stock.

Isn’t there some other third world country whose cheap labor we can exploit first?

Maybe they’re expecting the suffering US labor force to finally be cost effective enough to be able to provide cheap labor to export goods to the newly affluent China.

By: kingmel

kingmel — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:41:56 +0000

I used to mostly discount the complaints about glossy displays because I seldom encountered any significant problems with reflections. In office settings where you have some control over your lighting conditions, glossy displays are not much of a problem. But, when you go outdoors or visit another indoor setting that limits your ability to control position/lighting, reflections can be problematic.

That said, there are third party films to reduce display reflectivity. It is not clear to me that It is worth Apple’s effort to offer BTO display options for matte/glossy.

By: sixvodkas

sixvodkas — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:03:04 +0000

I agree. Good thing there are glossy screens, or I’d have to work with a muddy, muddled matte monitor!

By: sixvodkas

sixvodkas — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:00:44 +0000

Hmmm, let’s see? I just lost my job (merry Christmas!), my wife’s goes away in January and my brother has been unemployed for two years.

Yeah, I’ve got three candidates.

By: peterblood71

peterblood71 — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:54:30 +0000

Actually I believe there will be a VESA mounting solution coming soon for the new iMacs from what I’ve heard.

By: LLIBSETAG

LLIBSETAG — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:44:28 +0000

New iMacs with laminated screen to glass 2013 reduce reflections by 75%.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:24:32 +0000

I am tired of hearing about this issue from people who don’t know how to evaluate a monitor for the clearest possible image. Mat finishes leave every pixel distorted and fuzzy. Reflections are not limited to just what is there but reflect many very fuzzy images and distort the whole colour palette shown. If you don’t like reflections, control the source of those reflections.

By: 3l3c7ro

3l3c7ro — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:18:15 +0000

Who would want to work in these new domestic production facilities? No US citizen would want to do that work or work for a few dollars per day. Are you planning to let Mexicans into the US to work there? Would you want Apple to pay auto worker wages to US assemblers and then pay double for any Apple products?

By: vanfruniken

vanfruniken — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:17:20 +0000

Besides, it is a good idea for industry to re-evaluate the feasibility of domestic production in view of the rising living standards and wages in countries where offshore production is currently located. The choice will be between migrating production facilities to yet other emerging economies, or to consider bringing them back home. This is a cyclic problem that arises every 10-15 years.

By: vanfruniken

vanfruniken — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:07:19 +0000

It could even make more sense if the US Government would offer a tax break for returning money to the country, PROVIDED it is used to finance new domestic production facilities.

By: The Other Steve

The Other Steve — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 06:10:31 +0000

To be fare, problems don’t just go away by ignoring them. Especially problems that stare at you in the face e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e d-a-y!

By: macaholic

macaholic — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:25:20 +0000

Still with the bitching about glossy screens?!?!

By: MM

MM — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:15:37 +0000

Now that it’s 6+ years into the glossy-only era at Apple — with even the Retina and new iMac screens being like dark mirrors where you can clearly see the reflected image of what is behind you — and now that the Mac Mini’s are slowly getting to the level where it’s fast enough for most needs — I regret that my next Mac desktop will have to be the Mac Mini plus an Eizo matte screen.

By: macaholic

macaholic — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:06:17 +0000

Digitimes? With their track record on ‘predictions’ I wouldn’t hold my breath on anything they say.

By: xil

xil — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 04:37:53 +0000

Since Apple decided that we cannot VESA mount new iMacs, I plan to get a couple mini’s in 2013 and maybe a Pro in 2014 if it makes since. Maybe, Apple to come to it’s senses about VESA and the iMac by then too so I have some options.

Bringing production back to US sounds great, I just hopes it creates some U.S. jobs!

By: ken1w

ken1w — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 04:19:56 +0000

This makes sense. It makes sense for the Made In America Mac to be one that does not have a built-in LCD display. The NEW Mac Pro too…